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Hirano: Defending Gold Amidst Injury Woes
5 Feb
Summary
- Ayumu Hirano plans to defend his Olympic title despite recent injuries.
- He suffered a broken nose and pelvis at a Swiss contest last month.
- Hirano aims to be the first Japanese Winter Olympian with four consecutive medals.

Olympic halfpipe champion Ayumu Hirano has indicated he still intends to defend his title at the upcoming Milan Cortina Games. This comes after he sustained a serious fall at a snowboard contest in Switzerland last month. Reports from his trainer suggested he had suffered a broken nose and pelvis.
Hirano, a 27-year-old who previously secured two Olympic silver medals before winning gold at the Beijing Olympics, offered a brief update. He stated, "I just have to trust what I've built up to this point so far and ride the way I'm capable of riding." This reflects his determined mindset heading into the competition.
The Olympics website notes Hirano's potential to become the first Japanese Winter Olympian to achieve medals at four consecutive Games. He famously landed a triple cork in his 2018 victory, edging out Scotty James. Hirano shared, "I've always felt like the challenger, so not a lot has changed about me." Official halfpipe training begins Sunday, with men's qualifying scheduled for next Wednesday.




